The Exchange of a Lifetime
by twinlover5588
Summary: Bonds: physical restraints used to hold someone or something prisoner, especially ropes or chains. This wasn't what Yori signed up for. She only wanted to spend some time with her dear friend Yuki. So how did she end up becoming linked with a vampire noble?
1. Chapter 1: The Exchange

Alrighty! I've been playing around with this idea for a while. So here it is. ;D

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. Matsuri Hino does.

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Yori and Yuki were shopping in town for some clothes and shoes. Yuki only had to bat her eyelashes at the headmaster with a reluctance call of "father" and they were home free. Though Zero was begrudgingly following them in order to keep them safe. The two girls had immediately used the taller male as a pack mule and handed him all their shopping bags while they would endlessly goof off, walking into an infinite number of stores. Least it say Zero was tired after only about an hour of shopping. When the trip began to hit the three hour mark Zero demanded for them to sit down and have a break. The three had found a local cafe and sat down.

"What's with the long face Zero?" Yuki had asked with a giggle teasing him. Zero only responded with a glare and ordered a black coffee. Yori and Yuki just laughed and ordered some lemonade with a slices of chocolate cake. They hadn't noticed their stomachs growling while shopping until they sat down.

"Today was so much fun, Yuki! We need to do this more often." Yori exclaimed. She was shocked when Yuki asked her to hang out. Normally Yuki would be too busy catching up on sleep or handling the night class. Yori understood her busy life and just accepted that there wasn't a lot of time for them to hang out.

"Definitely! We tried on so many dress and shoes. We honestly should have bought them all Yori-chan!" Yuki joked. Zero just watched the two balls of joy sitting in front of him talk and talk away about their day despite them spending it together. Their cakes arrived shortly after. The rich looking delectables were mouthwatering. It wasn't until Yori caught Yuki stealing bites of her cake that a cake war started.

"Yuki! What do you think you are doing?!" Yori asked with fake disbelief. A hint of amusement in her eyes.

"Nuffin." Yuki said with a mouth full of chocolate cake. Yori quickly retorted by stabbing her fork into Yuki's cake and swiftly swallowed the bite. The two engaged in a cake stealing battle. A mess was made least to say. The two didn't realize their mess until a spoon was thrown smearing Zero's face in chocolate frosting. The two girl's froze and awkward silence hung in the air. Or at least it did until Yuki burst out laughing. Yori's eyes widen and she elbowed her cackling friend to shut her up. Zero's menacing glare was frightening her. Yuki kept laughing accumulating tears in her eyes. Zero growled, wiping his face clear of the offending frosting. He stood up and walked out of the cafe. Yuki, now breathless from her laughing session, gathered up their bags, and headed on out with Yori at her side.

When they were outside they noticed it had gotten slightly dark. They should started heading home. Zero was standing off to the side. When Yuki got closer she noticed Zero's eyebrows furrowed in concentration and his eyes staring off into the dark. When Yuki grabbed a hold of his arm sensing the air of urgency, Zero turned to look at her. They both nodded their heads, a serious air enveloped them. Zero took of running in a direction towards where he was staring. Yuki turned to Yori who was caught up in admiring the night sky to notice the previous exchange.

"Yori-chan~ Zero left something behind in the last shop we visited so he went to go look for it. He told us to wait here." Yuki said catching the attention of her best friend.

"Well let's go help him then." Yori stated starting to walk towards the last store. Yuki quickly grabbed Yori's arm to stop her.  
"No! uh… I mean…I'm sure Zero can handle it by himself." Yuki offhandedly said trying to cover up her initial distress.

"Wouldn't it be faster if we all look for it though?" Yori countered with logic. She always was a reasonable one. She continued off into the direction of the store dragging Yuki with her a bit. .

"Uhhh, Here. How about I go help him!" Yuki was in no way about to put her friend in danger of an level E vampire. Zero would reprimand her for it as well. But exactly what would stop her friend? Yuki had to think fast. Suddenly an idea hit her. "I'll go help him. Besides I know what the thing he's looking for looks like." It wasn't necessarily a lie Yuki thought.

"You however can stay at the cafe and eat more cake. My treat for ruining your cake earlier." Yuki persuaded with a warm smile knowing her friend couldn't say no to cake. Yori's face blushed a bit imagining the dreamy taste of chocolate again. She shook her head out of her daze slightly embarrassed about her weakness to chocolate.

"A-alright." Yori agreed. "But! You have to get me the double dark choco cake with cherry sauce." Yuki just laughed relieved that she derailed her friend's stubbornness. "Don't think I'm doing this for the cake either. I just dont want to trouble you and Zero by being dead weight." Yori huffed.

"Sure, sure." Yuki complied. When Yori was all settled with her cake and enjoying it's wonderful taste, Yuki headed off to help Zero, promising she'd be back in ten minutes tops. Not before making Yori promise to stay in the cafe though.

The cafe was mostly empty besides a rather tired looking cashier, and an elderly couple sitting in a far back corner. And of course, there Yori was. In a dreamy state of bliss. It was very rare for her to get the luxury of chocolate. The rich creamy substance was regulated in the academy. So she slowly savored the taste letting the flavor swirl around in her mouth enticing each taste bud. Her face melted into an absolute relaxed state. She wasn't disturbed when the store chime bell rang in the air signaling more customers. A group of unnerving guys came in and sat down a few table away from the elderly couple. One of the guys went up to order for the group, coming back with multiple cups of coffee. They looked tired and worn out as if they had been searching for something all day. A guy with expensive looking cowboy boots lit a cigarette and started smoking to relieve stress. The old women sitting nearby started to cough a little bit before having a fit. The elderly couple quickly got up and left. The cashier cared little about the smoker and continued to daydream.

Yori was halfway through her slice of cake still relishing in the chocolatey goodness. Little did she know that a few pairs of eyes were watching her. It wasn't until they saw the cashier go to the back room for a break did they approach her.

"Hey there pop tart. What's a pretty little thing like you doing out this late alone?" One of the taller more scruffy looking guys spoke up. He's friends joined in.

"Yeah, where are your friends? You here alone?" One male wearing a dingy beanie prodded with a creepy smile on his face.

Yori was startled out of her happy state by these couple of dangerous looking guys. Fear was the first thing that started running through her veins. She hasn't ever been out in the town alone without friends. Not only was she alone but strangers were bugging her. They seemed to be rather persistent seeing as they haven't gone away yet with Yori ignoring them.

As quickly as fear had come, Yori steered it away trying to think rationally. Normally girl's would lie about their friends being in the bathroom right? Or like say their boyfriend was about to arrive any minute and would kick their butts if they found them talking to her…right? She wasn't good in this situations. Man...Yori wished she listen to the girls' stories at the academy about this more. While Yori was having a mental meltdown, she remembered something. Yuki said she was going to be back in ten minutes tops right? Which meant she was going to be back any minute. Relief hit Yori instantly. It was short lived seeing as the shady men were still trying to get her attention.

"Hey!" One of the men nudged her rather harshly on the shoulder. Yori helded in a flinch. "Are you a mute or something?" He poked fun at her, he's friends laughing with him.

"You know if she is a mute she would do perfectly." the one with a beanie mumbled under this breath. This caught Yori's attention as she stopped mid-bite. Okay. Fear crept back into her as she now felt like she was being targeted. She wished Yuki would hurry back already.

"Hey boss, Don't you think she's exactly what we are looking for?"

"Hush." The taller scruffy looking guy ordered silencing his friend with a look. "Hey girly. How about you hang out with us for a while?" he continued. Yori continued to ignore them, putting full trust in Yuki and Zero to show up any minute now.

"I'm telling you guys, she's a mute. We should just take her now before the cashier gets back."

Yori's blood started pumping. Her whole body wanted to tremble, but she held it back as best she could. The group of men were crowded around her and were making plans with what to do with her right in front of her. Yori couldn't believe what she was hearing. They thought she was a mute? Did they know that mutes could still hear? Honestly these people were the dangerous type of dummies. Yori decided she wasn't going to sit here and wait for Yuki and Zero. She was just going to get up and leave, walking towards where Yuki and Zero were. She steeled her nerves and stood up from her seat. She refused to make any eye contact as she pushed passed the men who oooing and ahhing at her actions. She headed for the door and exited the shop.

The night sky was lit up with several clusters of stars. She felt comforted by them. The crisp chilly air nipped a bit at her skin. The streets were eerily empty. It was after dark and most people were already home. She trekked towards where she thought Zero and Yuki were. She quickened her pace when she heard several footsteps echoing hers. Speed walking now, her paranoia was on high alert. Her heart pounded as her rational thoughts looped around frantically in her head.

' _Look casual, and confident. They pick on the weak. Dont run. They will only chase. Locate a busy street and get noticed. Calm down. You are fine. You are safe.'_

These thoughts all were thrown out the window when she realized the echoed footsteps were closer and they were yelling back at her.

"Hey, sweet thang, where do you think you're going?"

"Yeah, Come have fun with us."

Fight or flight response kick in.

As she sprinted off into a run their calls grew more aggressive. Yori's head was fuzzy as she looked for a well light area densely populated with people. She turned corners trying to find a safe place. Her legs pumped with blood, aching for a break. It was only when she saw a grimy brick wall in her path that she knew she had hit a dead end. Her body finally started to tremble. Their footsteps were nearing. There was no place to hide so she just hoped they would give up and leave already.

Fate was not favoring her as one of the men rounded the corner and spotted her immediately. He approached her as she screamed and backed up against the brick wall. His big calloused hand roughly was placed over her mouth to stop her screaming. He wrapped his free arm around her body to keep her from flailing and trying to escape. A muffled sob escaped her body. He called to his other friends.

"Hey guys! I found her! Come here," he hollered. He then took a closer look at Yori who was now crying. "Dont be like that. No one will want you if you show them your ugly crying face now will they sweetie?" He said with a sickening smile. If he was trying to even remotely comfort her….he was an even bigger creep than she thought he was.

Yori struggled in his hold. She tried to think clearly as she pushed away her panicked thoughts. She needs to get away from this one guy before his buddies show us. If the flight response failed, how about the fight response? Boy, was she glad her father made her take some Mixed Martial Arts classes. She calmed her breathing and thought through a plan. She swiftly maneuvered her mouth out from underneath his hand and bit down hard on his hand. She cringed mentally at the taste of his dirt and blood on her tastebuds. She spat on the ground trying to rid the nasty taste in her mouth. She almost threw up. He reacted and let out a yelp and tossed her away from him. He cradled his hand to his body spurring curse words like a sailor. He glared at her with a look of resentment.

"You bitch!" He yelled as he came at her trying to apprehend her. Yori saw his hands coming at her and she grabbed him at the wrist twisting one of his arms behind his back tightly. He writhed in pain and Yori pushed him to the brick wall harshly. When he slammed against the wall she kicked him on the back further pushing him against the wall. He groaned in pain. He was temporarily down. It was her chance to get away. She didn't have time to turn around and escape when she felt someone grab her from behind. One of his friends must have found them. She struggled violently in his tight hold. He was much stronger than the other guy as she could already feel the bruises forming. The other guy recovered a bit from the hit and stood slightly smirking at her. He slowly started to walk towards her knowing his friend had her under control.

When he got into range, Yori lifted both her feet off the ground and kicked the man into the wall his head hitting it with a sickening crack. He was knocked unconscious. After kicking the guy, Yori struggled to throw the guy holding her over her shoulder. He kicked her in the shins and she fell to her knees. The group's other lackeys showed up and helped hold her down even more. Yori was surrounded as she tried to scream again. Before she could a cloth was held over her mouth and nose. A sticky sweet smell overwhelmed her. She struggled to shake the men off her and run away but her muscles began to weaken. Her body felt heavy and muggy. A piercing ringing began to sound in her ears only to grow louder to the point of it being all she could hear. Dilated eyes tried to search frantically for a way out only to find her vision blurry and going in and out of focus. Her eyes were getting harder and harder to keep open. Soon they closed and Yori drifted off into the darkness. Her limp body was quickly carried off and put into a van where they had other young bodies. The car speed off towards an undisclosed location leaving behind a tranquil air as if what just happened didn't in fact happen.

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Next chapter will set even more things in motion.


	2. Chapter 2: Mistakes

The second chapter wasn't exactly what I thought it would turn out to be...but at least I'm making leeway in the plot I have planned out~

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. Matsuri Hino does.

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The cold hard floor sent shivers down her spine. Yori had woken up with a killer headache. When she realized she was blindfolded and had no idea where she was, memories of what went down hit her. Those guys had abducted her. Now what was she suppose to do? She felt so hopeless. She must remain calm in these situations. She can't let herself panic. Panic leads to impulses and those can be deadly.

Yori tried to move around only to realize that her arms and feet were in rusty chains that dragged across the floor with a scraping sound. She assumed she was alone hearing as no other chains were being noisy and moved about. The air had a dank wet musk within, leading Yori to believe she was underground somewhere. Before she could continue her analysis of the situation heavy footsteps resounded off the walls. They came closer to her. The sound of a lock being slid open startled Yori as she flinched. A gruff voice called out.

"Grab her and set her with the others." A pair of sweaty hands unlocked the chains from her hands and feet. For a split second she thought about struggling to get away but where would she go? She had no idea where she was. She had no idea who these people were. All she would really accomplish would be more bruises and possibly beatings. Hence why she obeyed the man pushing her in a certain direction without any hindrance. The hallway she was walking had a bunch of turns and twists. As the walk continued she heard faint screams and yells from all around. Yells calling for help. Yells of anger. Yells of the desperate. It frightened Yori as the severity of the situation hit her. When they finally entered a room he took off her blindfold. The sight she was greeted with was uncanny. At least twenty other people, male and female, looking just as frightened and lost. Some girls were crying in the corner, while others were just staring blankly at a wall. They had already broken some. One of the older boys was glaring menacingly as the man behind Yori. His blonde hair seemed full of mud and dirt. His face had a fresh looking scar across his cheek. A younger look alike of the boy was clutching his pants half hiding behind his leg. Large innocent eyes wide with fear.

Yori was pushed harshly further in the room by the man. She lost her balance and toppled to the floor, hitting it hard. The man then closed the thick door behind her and locked it. Pain shot through Yori's leg as she realized she had scraped it up pretty good when she hit the floor. She just grimaced and tried to stand back up. An extended hand came into her view.

"You okay?" A low voice asked. Yori looked up to find the older boy who was previously glaring at the man who brought her here. She scanned his brown eyes for any harmful intentions. She didn't find any and took his hand. He helped her stand and noticed her leg was bleeding a little bit. He then quickly rummaged through his pocket in search of something. He pulled out a rectangular slip of paper. It wasn't until he peeled off the paper casing that she noticed it was a band aid. Carefully he bent down and placed it over her bleeding cut trying his best not to hurt her further. Yori smiled as she noticed it was a car themed band aid. What he said after that though confused her.

"Trust me. You don't want to bleed here. You'd be tempting the beasts." Before Yori could question what he said, the younger child ran up to him taking the older boy's leg hostage again. The older boy just patted the younger child's head. He then turned to Yori.

"My name is Saki and this is my younger brother Hoshiko. We've been here for about a day now." Yori just nodded her head. She felt like she could trust this guy.

"Do you know what they are going to do with us?" She asked.

"You mean you haven't seen them yet?"

"Them?"

"Those blood sucking va-" Before the boy could finish the door busted open and tall and strict looking man came in. His black inky hair was buzzed cut while his eyes were a rich green.

"Alright. I want females lined up over on the right and males lines up on the left." He demanded. Slowly people started to line up, some girls leaning on others in order to do so. Hoshiko tugged at Saki's pants and Saki lifted him up carrying him then got in line. Once everyone was lined up the man examined each one giving them a nod or a shake of the head. Those who got a shake of the head were taken away by guards to another room. When it came to Yori's turn she looked him right in the eyes. He maintained eye contact waiting for her to look away. Yori just continued the staredown. Seeing as she wasn't going to look away any time soon the man just nodded.

"Looks like we got ourselves one with spirit still." He smiled down at her. His teeth perfectly white. What caught her eye was the glint in them. That and the pair of sharp fangs. She blinked several times, thinking she was seeing things. When they were still there she gasped and he chuckled,

"Haven't been around our kind much have you?"

He moving onto the next in line. Yori then looked at Saki searching for an answer. When she caught his eyes he quickly looked away. Her brain racked for a reason. There had to be a logical explanation behind this. What kind of human would have fangs for teeth?

' _Trust me. You don't want to bleed here. You'd be tempting the beasts.'_

' _Those bloodsucking va-'_

' _Haven't been around our kind much have you?'_

It clicked. No human would have fangs for teeth. No human would be tempted by blood. They weren't human despite their looks. They were beasts. Bloodsucking vampires. And she just had a stare down with one. She shivered. What brought her out of her inner panic was a shout. The man had shook his head at Hoshiko. Guards were trying to take the younger boy from Saki's arms but Saki refused shouting at them to get away. He was hysterical as the guards finally got Hoshiko out of his arms. Other guards were holding him back from getting his younger brother again. Hoshiko screamed and cried, his face puffing up red and blotchy. Saki's face was distorted into pain as one of the guards holding him hit a pressure point numbing his body so he couldn't fight anymore. Yori watched in horror as they carried off Hoshiko who was flailing around trying to get back to his brother. Yori had enough. She stepped out of line to stop this nonsense only for her body to freeze in place as she stared at the red glowing eyes of the strict man.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Just go back in line and stay there." The man's eyes glowed an even more intense color of red as he spoke. Yori's body began to move on it's own and she moved back in line. Why couldn't she control her body? She tried going against it but pain shot through her body when she did. Eventually she stopped trying, wanting the lingering pain to go away. Wanting the now faint screams of Hoshiko to stop. Wanting Saki to not be limb in some guards arms. She just wanted everything to end. She wanted to go back to her normal life before any of this happened.

When the man was done inspecting everyone he spoke to the guards in hushed tones. He then turned towards the door and started to head out. Not before he spared a glance at Yori though and smiled again showing off his fangs. Yori just stared blankly at the man not giving him the satisfaction of her panic attack. He left without another word.

The guards then took all the boys, including Saki, out the door. Another pair of guards then proceeded to do the same with the girls. Yori walked in line following the other girls down a dark and gloomy hallway. The guards lead them to a room full of small cages just big enough for a human to occupy. They started to put each girl in their own cage, sticking tags on the cages as they go about. Yori looked at one of the tags and saw what it labeled. Age, family, blood type, and one word describing them. When one of the guards pushed her in a cage and placed a tag on it Yori was curious. What exactly did they put on hers? She stole a peek. Age: 17. Family: Wakaba. Blood type: AB. In big red letters at the bottom was the word strong-willed. How did they know this stuff? Why would it matter? Before she could continue her observant behavior she heard a roar of applause and a faint MC announcing something. The girls started being wheeled off towards the direction of the noise one by one. None of them were returning.

' _This is it,'_ Yori thought. Her cage was being wheeled off before she knew it.

Everyone knew of the types of events Osamu Kurosawa was involved in. Seriously the whole vampire community knew. It was only now that Kaname decided to do something about it. So he sent some night class attendees to handle the issue. Which was why Akatsuki Kain, Ruka Souen, and Hanabusa Aido were amongst the crowd deciding the game plan. Kaname said not to involve other goers there and to only get Osamu to him for judgement of his crimes against humanity. His slave trades and blood markets needed to be put to an end. He would kidnap countless young people only to sell them off as blood vessels. Now that Kaname had enough power and people backing him up, it was time to put an end to it.

The dim lighted room was refurbished to make it more classy looking despite it being a underground lair. Tables were littered about covered only by white tablecloths with centerpieces of thorned roses. Rows of torches lined the walls creating a rather suggestive atmosphere. A huge stage was centered in the back with red velvet curtains framing the sides. Dense crowds of vampires were surrounding the stage.

The night class vampires waited patiently for the whole ordeal to be over and to get Osamu. Ruka had gone over to the refreshment table to escape the crowd bidding mindlessly. Akatsuki had followed her wordlessly leaving Hanabusa by himself. The amount of low level vampires he saw here sickened him. He wanted to do this for Kaname-sama and then go home. He watched emotionless as humans were wheeled out on stage in cages. Some big some small. Male and Female alike. It seemed they had diversity. One girl even sold for 30,000 yen. He supposed she was to be a blood bag for that amount. Her blood smelled too watery for his taste though when they purposely cut her to give a preview of their product to the crowd. Hey if he had to be here, why not look at the merchandise? He quickly shook his head to try and rid himself from the thought. Kaname-sama would smack him for sure if he knew. Also Hanabusa would rather have willing female blood than forcing one. The males he noticed were selling for roughly 50,000 yen. They will probably be labor slaves.

Hanabusa yawned his fangs glinted in the light for all to see. He had gotten up early in order to carry out this mission. It wasn't long for a group of common vampire girls to notice him and clump around him. Hanabusa tried his best to ignore most of them. Yes he was a playboy but even he had standards and common vampire girls involved in slave exchanges did not meet them. One after another he would not so kindly shoo off the girls. Some left with lingering glares towards him. Others looked heartbroken. Hanabusa didn't care that much. It was nearing the end of the auction so to say and Hanabusa had walked to sit with Akatsuki and Ruka who had found a table.

"I just wished this would be over already. All of these girls are making me ill," Hanabusa said with a sigh as he plopped down besides Akatsuki.

"What a surprising thing for a player to say," Ruka stated. "Losing your touch, are you?" She prompt with a tease. The blonde blindly took the bait.

"I am not! I'm not just going to take anyone. I have to keep up my Nobel air." Hanabusa finished with an arrogant huff.

"More like bratty air." Ruka whispered under her breath. Before Hanabusa could retort Akatsuki had shoved a drink in his face and forced him to drink it. Hanabusa almost choked but quickly gulped down the drink glaring at both of his cousins. The fake processed taste of the blood tablet was leaving a bad aftertaste in his mouth again. He visibly scrunched up his nose in distaste. He then stood up to get some water to wash out the plastic taste.

The water table was scarce of people, seeing as many were in the heat of the crowd betting. The MC announced the names and qualities of each person. The ones with the timid qualities often were the fastest to get bid on. The girls were often crying while others bid on them. Their cries edged on a headache with the noble vampire. He really wanted to go back to sleep after this was done. Hanabusa closed his eyes for a split second in hopes of ridding himself of his fatigue. He heard the shuffles and mumbles of females already gathering around him again. He ignored them. Their needy voices not helping his headache one bit. The MC laugher over the mic only amplified the ache. Trying to distract himself from all the annoyances, the blonde vampire constantly froze and unfroze his drink. This however only flustered the girls around him more as they voiced their awe and amazement. He proceeded to block them out.

However when a certain name was called out into the air by the MC, Hanabusa's eyes flew open.

"Sayori Wakaba. Age: 17. Family: Wakaba. Blood type: AB," the MC started. "She is strong willed and has a defiant nature," he continued his spiel with jokes and jabs.

This name. It sounded familiar to Hanabusa. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. He was sure he had heard this name somewhere. But where? He turned his head slightly towards the stage to see what the poor person looked like. He was meet with a blank faced young girl. Brown short wavy hair accompanied, from what he could see, hazel eyes. She sat quietly in her cage staring out into the crowd. The MC tried to get bids as he went on and on about the supposedly fire blood she had. Hanabusa disagreed as he concluded her blood smelled light with a hint of tartness. Not his favorite but not to his utter disgust as well. The lack of crying make her stand out from the other girls. That and the air of familiarity she had. A sharp looking guy raised his hand and bid on her.

"20,000 yen," he yelled.

"30,000 yen," another person shouted smirking at the previous bidder. The girl only remained silent as she stared out into the crowd with a calm look.

'It's like she isn't scared at all,' Hanabusa thought. Her stare held no trace of fear and uncertainty. It reminded him of a certain school prefect. School….wait a minute! That's where he's seen her! She's Yuki's friend! How on earth did she end up in a slave exchange for vampires? Before his brain could fully comprehend the severity of the issue he raised his hand a spoke.

"50,000 yen!" Hanabusa immediately covered his mouth after he said it. Gasps were heard around the room. The room grew silent. The MC broke the silence as he announced,

"Sold to the tall blonde in the back! Come up front and claim your item!"

What did he just do?


	3. Chapter 3: No Going Back

Heyo! I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my great appreciation for your everlasting patience with me. Really. Thanks.

I've been caught up trying to write several fan fictions all at the same time and I'm not even posting some. Unfortunately I want everything to be to the best of its ability before I post it. Then again that's probably just my excuse for my lateness. Oh well.

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. Matsuri Hino does.

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' _What did I just do?'_ Hanabusa thought. He was thoughtless. He was stupid. And he couldn't believe he just did what he did. He was out of his mind and it was too late to fix his mistake. Right after he 'won' the bidding session they wheeled her cage off stage and into the back. He walked to the front and signed a money contract stating that he did in fact bid here. He couldn't take back his word. He was a vampire noble. That would damage his image greatly. So he signed the contract with a smooth solid signature and waited in the back. He tried to not make eye contact with friends as he went. He knew they were just as confused if not angry at him as much as he is at himself. There was no logical reason as to why he bid on the girl. She was just a simple human. He should have let her be bought by some lowly vampire and that would have been the end to it. No consequences for him. There was also no way he was going to get out of this unscathed from Kaname. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered that little fact.

' _I'm so fucking dead.'_ was the only thought that ran through his mind. He felt his face grow pale as he grew even more stressed out. What was he going to do with a human girl? Surely Kaname will make him let her go...right? She can continue her normal life after her memory's been wiped clean of the incident. She can go back to studying at the academy and he wouldn't have to ever see her again. Yeah. Hanabusa liked this idea. And honestly it saved the girl didn't it? He actually did a good deed. Yuki would thank him. And maybe even tell Kaname not to punish him so much? The nobel vampire felt some of the stress dissipate. Will he still get a beating from Kaname? There's no doubt about it. But now he knows for sure he won't be killed. And at least now he has a plan to back up his nonsensical actions. His stupid absolutely ridiculous actions that had his head spinning.

He had walked to the back the hazy darkness not a problem for him as he could easily see through it. He passed tons of people in cages. They looked empty and barely noticed him walking by. He kept hearing far off screams of more unfortunate people. He leaned up against a wall waiting to be confronted. They said to met them back there in order to get her. But yet where were they? He just wanted to get her, handle the mission and go home to sleep pushing the problems created today for when he wakes back up. He can only handle so much. More screams grated against his sensitive ears.

One scream in particular sent shivers down his spine. Goosebumps appeared all over his skin. Warning signals went off in his head. He had a feeling something was going horribly wrong. He trained his ears to focus in on the scream. It was full of angst and pain. The raw way it echoed from the walls was enough to make him cringe. Desperate pleads were laced throughout the screaming. The screaming died down and sobs and whimpers took it's place. These noises becoming louder. Soon the source of the sounds came into Hanabusa's view as a cage was wheeled back into the room he was in. There she was, laying on her side in the cage. Her body quivering and compulsing. She had curled up into the fetal position as she held her side with both hands. Weak whimpers came from her mouth. Her eyes closed tightly though tears escaped them anyways. Then it hit him. The undeniable smell of burnt flesh. It danced beneath his nostrils. The stench making his stomach turn. The two guys who wheeled her out tossed the cage's key at Hanabusa. He caught it in his hand on instinct. The key felt like it was burning a hole through his hand. He was slightly appalled at the situation. He had underestimated the severity of the place he was in. He kept a blank expression as he watched the writhing girl in the cage slowly pass out from the pain. She laid there limp. Her tearstained face looked everything but peaceful. Hanabusa didn't like this. He didn't like the way she had looked defeated. Whatever happened to her defiant stare? A foreign feeling started to creep up on him. He felt it started in his chest as it slowly spread throughout his body.

"I didn't think I'd be graced with any noble air tonight. I am greatly honored, Aido-sama." A voice broke Hanabusa's stare towards the girl. Osamu Kurosawa came waltzing towards him. He slightly bowed to show some respect. Hanabusa just looked on at him. No word offerings came to mind. Osamu took this as a sign to continue with his purpose. "I'm here to personally give you your commanding device. It links you to your prize and let's you control her. Or at least punish her if she doesn't listen. Consider it a collar for your little slave." Osamu chuckled at the last part. He offered a little ring with a black jewel smack dab in the middle. The gem glinted dangerously in the dim light.

Something set him off. What it was? Who knew? Was it the pent up stress? Was it the fact that he was lacking sleep? Or was it just his recklessness kicking in again? Before he knew it, with one quick swift movement he snatched the offending ring from the man's hand and twisted his arm around his back holding him there. Hanabusa's eyes flashed red as he froze the man's hand to his back. Osamu started to struggle and yelled for his men to attack. Hanabusa kicked the backs of his knees and watched as he fell with a grunt. Ice formed around Osamu's feet all the way up to his knees and froze him to the floor. His lackeys were next. The room's atmosphere dropped to a dangerous chilling temperature. Hanabusa's blank face made him seem calm and collected. Though on the inside he wanted to tear these people apart. As they ganged up on him Hanabusa let ice shards strike each one either leaving them impaled to the wall or just laying on the floor. Their blood pooled on the floor and left a nasty stench in the air. More came in the room only to suffer the same fate as those previously. Their yells of pain and anger just worsened their faith seeing as it was giving Hanabusa a bigger headache. Just as he was about to drop the temperature to an even more deadly degree, he saw fire hit some of the lowly vampires. Hanabusa turned around and saw Akatsuki and Ruka.

"We heard you making the commotion and decided to join in," was Akatsuki's only explanation. Ruka stood beside him and scoffed at Hanabusa's recklessness.

"Weren't we supposed to wait until after it was over?" Ruka belittled Hanabusa while killing some lackeys herself. Hanabusa didn't respond as he just continued to pierce attackers with ice. Though when Ruka attacked Akatsuki, Hanabusa knew something was wrong. Ruka smashed her fist into Akatsuki's gut who had crumpled over a bit at the blow. The air wheezed out of him as she flip him over and grounded her foot into his chest with immense pressure.

"R-Ruka?" He breathed out. She only responded by adding more pressure to his chest. He grabbed around her ankle to try and relive some of the pressure. Ruka had a blank expression as she twisted her ankle around trying to shake off his hold. Akatsuki managed to lift her foot off of him and sat up a bit. He yanked at her foot with such strength that she came tumbling down. He kept her down by towering over her, his hips on her stomach. She squirmed underneath him and with her hand she tried to hit him in the face. Akatsuki leaned away just in time to only get scratched on the cheek by one of her nails. He restrained her hands above her head after that. Noticing that Ruka's eyes were unfocused as she struggled against his hold, Akatsuki brought his face much closer to her's. Inspecting the glossed over look in her eyes was all he had to do in order to determine this wasn't on her own actions. Hanabusa was ahead of him as he looked over at Osamu and noticed he was controlling her movements with his eyes. With a jerk of his hand, ice started working it's way up Osamu's body all the way to his face. A hazy layer of ice formed over his eyes making it impossible for him to use his powers. Every power had a weakness. Osamu's was his eyes. Immediately when he lost his ability to use his powers Ruka lost the dull look in her eyes and came back to her senses. Akatsuki's face was still close as he watched the change.

"What are you doing Akatsuki. Get off me." Ruka demanded with a steady voice. Akatsuki only got off of her mumbling about another reaction he wanted. While the little exchange occurred Hanabusa managed to incapacitate the rest of the lackeys. Silence filled the room, only being broken by Hanabusa's raging breath. He was more than tired now. When all was unmoving in the room, Akatsuki crouched over Osamu constrained body and held his hand up over Osamu's eye's. With a red glow, fire appeared engulfing his hand and started to melt away the ice shielding his eyes. Osamu all while spouting out curse words and struggling despite the ice restraining his body. Akatsuki didn't stop when the ice melted and continued to burn his eyes. Yells left his body as he pleaded for him to stop. Hanabusa and Ruka just watched on with uninterested looks. If he thought this was hell just wait until they turn him over to Kaname.

After the gruesome deed was done Akatsuki stood back up and mumbled something about messing with Ruka. The mission was done. They caught their target and all they had to do was wrap up this whole event. Hanabusa, of course wasn't too keen on that. But if it was for Kaname he would do it. WIll he be happy? No. But he'll do it. He left Akatsuki to deal with Osamu and getting him to Kaname. Together with Ruka he ended the auction and sent all the vampires home with warning of their wrongdoings. Those actually more involved in the auction like the MC, and the guards of the 'merchandise' fearfully surrendered themselves after seeing their leader and many members defeated. All that was left to handle was the humans in cages. Or what Hanabusa was more worried about, the human he bought in a cage. She was still unconscious as she laid on the hard floor of the cage. Her hand still laid limply on her side. He assumed that was were they branded her. He opened the cage's door and inspected the girl further. Her skin was pale and blanched with dirt and bruises. The contrast catching his eye immediately. He wonder faintly to himself how long they were take to heal. He picked up a lock of her hair and held it in between his fingers.

The girl had been through hell and back. And yet Hanabusa wanted to see through fearless eyes shine once more when she woke up. He wanted her to power through it all and come out on top despite the odds. But when he realized his irrational thoughts he mentally slapped himself. She was only human. This event had scarred her.

' _Both mentally and….,'_ Hanabusa paused his thought to look at her side. He grimaced _. 'Physically.'_ The sound of the cage door creaking open startled him and he quickly retracted his hand from her hair.

"What are you going to do with her?" his cousin's voice rang out.

"She goes to the academy you know." Hanabusa avoiding answering the question. He really didn't have an answer anyways.

"So what if she goes to the academy? You should have just ignored her and continued with the mission." Ruka's cold voice came from behind Akatsuki's frame. When she was finally in view of Hanabusa, her glaring eyes met his. A tense silence fell over the trio. The air having gone thick and heavy.

"Look. I know I didn't do the…..smartest thing. But what's done is done. Can we just go home now? We can deal with everything else tomorrow night." Hanabusa pouted a bit annoyed at the whole thing. He carefully picked up the girl and held her in his arms. He adjusted her a bit so he wasn't putting pressure on a lot of the bruises. He also made sure not to touch anywhere near the branding mark.

"You can't possible mean you are taking that girl with you?" Ruka questioned with a bizarre look on her face. "Just leave her here!"

"So that she can just wander around on her own only to find herself in some more trouble!? I don't think so." Hanabusa paused a little to look at her face. He furrowed his eyebrows and continued speaking. "Besides, she's also Yuki's friend." Ruka's face scrunched up at the mentioning of the guardian's name.

"Who gives a damn about Yu-"

"Ruka. Let's just go. Hanabusa can deal with this issue on his own." Akatsuki spoke up. He turned around and walked towards the exit. Ruka just stared at his back in shock. She swiveled her head around to stare at Hanabusa before settling her face into a look of annoyance. She turned to follow Akatsuki. When she caught up to him she noticed the long red scratch on his cheek. Blood had already clotted and it was already starting to heal, albeit it should have been healed already if it was a normal scratch.

"Kain. What happened to your cheek?" She let her fingers ghost over the offending cut in question.

"One of the guards nicked me with their knives." He gruffly said, his voice low while his face looked on ahead. He refused to look her in the eyes. He grasped her hand close to his cheek and lowered it to his side. "Don't worry about it." Ruka let him hold her hand while they walked. Neither of them spoke up again.

The now lone nobel vampire just sighed and mentally prepared himself for whatever laid ahead on his path. Just as he was about to leave the whole place behind he looked at the tag on her cage.

' _Sayori…..'_

When they arrived at the academy it was almost dawn. The sun had started dying the sky in oranges and light pinks. Ruka just went straight to her own dorms, slightly mad at the whole situation. Akatsuki and Hanabusa walked back to their own room.

"Are you going to inform Kaname about….her?" His cousin's voice stopped Hanabusa right in his tracks.

"I have to, don't I?"

"I mean are you going to do it now?" Akatsuki stressed the now part.

"I planned….on telling him tomorrow...?" Hanabusa just sighed when he saw Akatsuki's blank face. "I'm just soooo tired!" He finished off dramatically.

"Hanabusa." Akatsuki said in a warning tone.

"Oh come on. Let me at least get some sleep before I face him. Sleep deprived me isnt as smart as well rested me. If I face him now surely I'll just dig my grave deeper by saying something out of line." Hanabusa pleaded to his cousin. The fire vampire just sighed and walked into their room. Hanabusa took that as a pass and mentally high fived himself. He followed after his cousin and laid Yori on the sofa. Akatsuki pealed his clothing off and rested in his bed after he was only down to his underwear.

Hanabusa ignored his roommate's actions and grabbed a fluffy towel. He was about to go to the bathroom to wash up when he glanced at the girl on the sofa. She had yet to move. He brushed off the slight pang hurting within him. Why would he care? He took a step closer to her. Her motionless body looked worn out and broken. Her shirt had been torn away to expose her stomachs side. The branded skin was openly available for his view. The skin surrounded the wounded was bright red and blotchy. Some of it uprisen and white. It looked rather messy as if there was a struggle.

' _Who wouldn't struggle in that kind of situation?'_

The skin was so thin that one little scratch looked like it could draw blood. He was extremely careful about examining it with that realization. Skin started to peel and scab over the burning mark. He reach out to touch the damaged skin. The tips of his fingers ghosted over the inflamed skin and immediately noticed the heat emitting from the branding mark.

' _It could get infected if I don't disinfect it..'_

He walked to the bathroom cabinet and pulled out disinfectant and gauze. He was a little grateful that she was already passed out. No doubt it will sting like hell. Without all the screaming and struggling that would have happened if she was awake, Hanabusa easily disinfected the wound and was about to wrap it in bandages for further protection, when he noticed the extreme irritated redness. He placed his full hand over the mark and applied a thin layer of ice over it to keep down the swelling and overall cool down the blistering skin. He wrapped the bandages around her torso and hoped that it was enough. He then tended to the little cuts she had, applying band-aids to them. He duly noted the sweet scent wafting to his nose. His eyes surely were glowing red and his throat constricted. He shook his head to stop his current thoughts. Other vampires might've already smelled her. That thought worried him slightly. He pushed it aside and tried to think nothing of it.

When he was satisfied with the amount of work he had done, he continued on his way to the shower. Grabbing some blood tablets as he went and downing them in water in a few seconds. He just wanted to rub off all the messes of the night's events and cozy up in his bed. He proceeded to strip, taking off his clothes and tossing them rather messily in the laundry basket. When he tossed his dress shirt in the basket, a shiny object fell onto the floor. It rolled a little before it landed on its side beside Hanabusa's feet. He picked it up. It was the ring Osamu gave him. He thought he got rid of it. The shiny black stone set in the middle seemed to be mocking Hanabusa. He glared at it and set it on the counter. The steamy hot water helped relax his tense shoulders. His shower was full of thoughts. Thoughts about the girl. Thoughts about Kaname's punishment. Thoughts of just what's going to happen. He shut off the hot water after a good fifteens minutes.

Wrapping a towel around his waist, he stepped out of the shower. The ring still laid lonesomely on the bathroom counter. He picked it up and examined it carefully. He made a mental note to research the stone and the strange metal band supporting it later. He tossed it carelessly in the air catching it again and again. For now though he was going to get some rest. Walking out of the bathroom, he headed straight for his closet and pulled out a pair of silk pajamas. He slipped into them. He loved the way the smooth silk ghosted over his smooth skin. He placed the ring on his bedside table and checked on last time on the girl still knocked out on his sofa. Seeing as she was probably out for the day, Hanabusa climbed into his bed and decided to let sleep overtake him. He'll need a lot of energy when he wakes up.

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I'm debating if I should make the next chapter all action packed...or give everyone a little break...hmmm...I wonder...


	4. Chapter 4: Punishment

Yo! Glad to be back and alive...or at least kinda. I don't think exhaustion takes away from the alive factor...but it sure does from the living. After all being alive is different from living. Anyways, Enough of my rambling. Please enjoy this next chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. Matsuri Hino does.

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Whimpering sounds echoed within Hanabusa's sensitive hearing. All throughout the day he tossed and turned, the cries grating on his ears. Frustrated, he finally threw the covers off and went in search of the recurring sound. Suddenly the sweet smell of blood wafted through the air. Hanabusa's throat constricted as the smell met his nose. Feeling his fangs lengthen, he had to resist his primal urge to feast. His frustration level raising, Hanabusa glared down at the wiggling being on his couch. She had thrown off her covers and was worming about in pain. Her eyes were glazed over as she squirmed in pain, her hands cradling the new mark on her side. The mark that was currently uncovered and bleeding a sufficient amount of blood. Akatsuki was beside Hanabusa within second, his eyes glowing a dimly red in the dark.

"She's been like that for an hour now."

"Serves her right for taking off her bandages." He grumbled through clenched teeth. He started heading back to bed, his greedy desire for more sleep taking over. Just as he was about to slip back under the comfy sheets, a loud whimper echoed in his ears once more, causing a dull ache in his head. He swiftly ignored his own pain and glared at the girl unknowingly giving him a headache. Walking back over towards her the scent of blood lingered in the air. "It isn't spicy at all." He mumbled. Though despite the annoyance laced in his voice he walked to get more bandages and disinfectant. Akatsuki just stood over Yori staring before saying,

"Kaname just got back."

A groan was Hanabusa's only response.

"You know he's already aware she is here. Her blood was rallying the others."

Hanabusa tried to think of a way to postpone the meeting until later. But after hearing what his cousin had to say, he realized if he waited any longer, Kaname would come knocking on his door instead. And that wouldn't end well considering Hanabusa's collection was completely out in the open. It took him so long to build it back up from last time he saw it. He wasn't about to soil all his efforts. But still his fear stopped him. What was he to do?

He was brought out of his thoughts by a hiss. Yori had scraped at the scabbing and brought forth more blood. She pressed her palm deeper into the wound trying to stop the pain. She was crying now, her silent sobs racked through her body, as she dealt with the gushing wound. Akatsuki had gone back to his bed saying,

"Make sure you take a blood tablet."

It was only then that Hanabusa was reminded of his own eyes glowing and the desire to drink. He walked to his bedside table and opened the drawer. Quickly he snatched up the container and popped two blood tablets in his mouth, downing them with a swig of water. He slammed to drawer back shut and everything on the top rattled. Something hit his foot. He felt the light tap and bent down to inspect what fell. The black gem shined as Hanabusa picked up the ring.

All the emotions from the previous night came piling down on him. The fear. The confusion. The admiration. They all came rushing back to him and made his head hurt. A slow pounding began to pulse in his forehead. Without thinking he pushed the ring onto his finger and went back to the girl writhing on his couch. He removed her hand covering the wound and surprised by the loud scream she let out at the intrusion. He swiftly placed his hand over her mouth and tried to calm her down. Of course Yori was full of surprises and bit down on Hanabusa's hand. The Nobel vampire cringed at the sudden pain, but made no move to remove his hand. Instead he just very slowly placed his other hand over the wound and allowed his power to sweep into the skin, numbing the pain. She struggled in his hold, startled by the sudden coldness. Her struggle causing her teeth to scrape more against his skin, red marks coming forth uprisen and pulsating.

"Shhhh. It's okay. I'm only trying to help." He softly growled out between his teeth, trying his hardest not to yell at the girl.

Hanabusa didn't even know if she could hear him. However he was grateful either way when she lessened her strength on her bite. What compelled him to continue whispering comforting nothing's into her ear, well, Hanabusa couldn't tell you that. He didn't know himself.

"It's going to be alright. You'll be fine." He slowly moved his hand over another area of the wound, trying to even out the numbing sensation. Yori whimpered again in response.

"Shh. It will be over soon." Hanabusa whispered as he removed his hand from her mouth and gently stroked her hair. Mats of dry blood and dirt coated the hair beneath his palm.

After he finished icing down the mark, he calmly wrapped it back up with bandages and disinfected some other cuts that had opened up in her squirming session. He was so focused on his actions that he didn't notice her stare. What broke his concentration was

a raspy voice that ghosted through the air.

"Where am I? What happened?" Hanabusa stopped his movements and glanced at her. He shouldn't tell her anything until he speaks with Kaname.

"Where does it hurt still?" Hanabusa ignored her questions in sake of his own. Yori's eyes locked with Hanabusa's. Her eyes flickering with recognition for a brief moment.

"Aido-senpai?" The hoarse croak of his name made his heart stop with dread. He turned away from her, to quickly find Kaname, oddly enough wanting to escape her questions even if it meant suffering a beating earlier. What shocked him was the strong tug on his night shirt, and the much stronger voice of the girl.

"Where am I?" His gaze trapped in her own, trying ever so hard not to stare in awe at the fearlessness in her eyes.

"You are at the Night dorms. I highly doubt you can recover so fast, after last night." His own words didn't register in his mind until he heard her gasp. Why did he say that? What in his right mind make Hanabusa's think that was an okay thing to say?! Seeing her stiffen at the mentioning of last night's events, Hanabusa mentally kicked himself for his slip up. So much for calming her down. She slid a hand over her side wincing at the tiny pricks of pain, her eyes glossing over as if reliving the moment. Her breathing quicken and she started to show signs of hyperventilation, with each breath she'd take getting shallower and shallower. Her mind being filled with rushing thoughts of her last memories. But as soon as the cracks were revealed, they were sealed up and replaced with a ridged exterior and blank eyes.

"I'll ask again. What happened?" Her eyes bore into Hanabusa's with an odd neutrality reflecting on the surface.

Hanabusa's scoffed and removed the hand that was still clutching his nightshirt tightly. He frowned slightly at the wrinkles now in its place.

"Are you saying you don't remember?" Hanabusa's prodded placing a bored look over his face, buffering his own walls up to hide is discomfort.

"I'm asking you to tell me what _you_ know happened." Her voice free from strain and instead a tad monotoned. The two just stared at each other. Eyes clashing, each bearing a plain undertone in them. It lasted for a long while, eventually Hanabusa's eyes took on a more annoyed glimmer, and just as he was about to speak, she beat him to it.

"If you aren't going to tell me, at least-" her voice cracked a little. "At least, let me see Zero." Yori is once again full of surprises. Hanabusa's eyebrows furrowed as he took in her statement. Shouldn't she be asking to see Yuki? Aren't they best friends? He almost asked his question, but seeing as they had both been avoiding each other questions he decided against it.

He ultimately decided to just bring her Kaname. Maybe if it wasn't too late they could just wipe her memory. Only flaw was explaining the branding mark. Ugh. Hanabusa hoped Kaname could solve things.

"Okay. I'll go get him. You, however, need to stay here." All Hanabusa received was a nod in response and a low hum. Slightly irked by her lack of actual response, Hanabusa just turned around and headed for the door. His footsteps quick and quiet as he approached Kaname office. The hallways long and straight, dark wallpaper lining them, blending into the darken floors. Random side tables decorated with a vase full of roses were scatter about every now and then in the halls. The scent of roses reminding him of the auctioning room, which had been drenched in the scent. Oddly enough, even with the vampires enhanced therefore sensitive nose, he found he liked the aroma of the flower. He only wished the memory of the auction wasn't attached to it now. Hanabusa ran a hand through his curls, still messy from his bed. With a slight grimace, he realized he was still in his silk pajamas, which had been slightly wrinkled. What a great impression he will leave. A cold wind blew past him, as Seiren flew to walk besides him.

"He's been waiting for a long time now."

"Jesus!" Hanabusa jumped slightly at her sudden voice. If anyone can sneak up on him, it's Seiren. "I see you didn't take my advice about wearing a bell around your neck."

"You shouldn't be this casual. Kaname-sama is-"

"It's how I cope." Hanabusa replied offhandedly cutting her off. He didn't need her telling him how scared he should be right now. He has already accepted his fate. No amount of dilly dallying will help it, so he is just going to face it head on. He just hopes he will have a head left when it's all over. His brain started swimming with possible punishments, not helping the dull ache in his head left from the girl's whimpers. When they arrived at the big, dark wooden doors, Hanabusa couldn't stop the shiver that ran down his spine. He took his time to notice the deep craving engraved in the door's rich wood, nervously imprinting every detail in his mind. The intricate swirls licked the smooth surface door, only to be mirrored on the other. The swirls all leading and encircling a lone centered cross. How ironic. He almost bit his own tongue when Seiren knocked on said door and waited for the response.

Kaname's deep calm voice was muffled by the thick door as he said, "Come in."

To say the Nobel vampire was frozen in fear was an understatement, no pun intended. Seiren walked him to the middle of the room and was then promptly dismissed by Kaname. Hanabusa watched as she bowed and left the room, leaving him alone to deal with his punishment. Kaname had yet to look at him, as he sat behind his desk, reading over some papers. Huge thick black curtains blocked out the sunlight of the towering windows behind the dorm president. The air, thickening with every passing second. With a gulp, Hanabusa swiftly kneeled on the ground bowing his head to Kaname while saying the respectful greeting. His body had gone ridge and numb. Without so much as a glance towards the Nobel vampire, Kaname spoke.

"Take a seat."

Hanabusa complied immediately, sitting in an overstuffed chair placed in front of his desk. He couldn't feel the softness of its cushion. The air was tense as Hanabusa could hardly breathe, his mouth running dry. Kaname sat down his papers and finally turned his full attention on Hanabusa. His dark red eyes, the color of dried blood, cold and sharp. A lone raised eyebrow at the Nobel vampire's appearance and dress, gave Hanabusa confirmation that he should have changed. Hanabusa gulped what little saliva he had in his mouth.

"Mind telling me what happened last night with Osamu Kurosawa?" The dorm leader prompted with a calm voice.

Clearing his throat before he spoke, Hanabusa looked Kaname in the eyes as he said, "We handled the situation well, ending it with Osamu's capture and his follower's warnings." He breathed in a deep breathe before continuing. "However, what Osamu was doing was far too vile for any of our kind. And when I saw Yuki's friend there I-" he stopped again to swallow. "I thought I could help her."

"And so you bid on her?" Kaname inquired, still rather calm about the whole situation. Hanabusa looked away and grumbled,

"What else was I supposed to do? Let some random low life buy her?" The room dropped to an below freezing degree, even for Hanabusa. The temperature bit into his skin as he immediately regretted his previous statement. But before he could refute, a sharp stinging sensation started on his cheek. Next thing he knew he was on the ground clutching his swollen face. He honestly should have saw that coming. He winced as he just sat up on the carpet, not feeling it's soft plush undertones underneath his hands.

"The fact that you bought her has tarnished a part of your reputation. A reputation that is connected with me. Not only will the vampire council use this against me, but your own father will as well."

"Yes-I kno-"

Another slap resounded in the air, as Kaname hit the young Noble vampire's other cheek. Tears stung in the ice manipulators eyes as he received the second blow knocking him back onto the ground.

"I don't believe you do know. You've put this whole academy in danger without so much of a second thought." Kaname calmly gritted out as he towered above Hanabusa. His eyes glowing slightly in the curtain induced darkness. Just as Kaname took a step towards the Nobel vampire on the ground, a knock sound broke the heavy atmosphere. Kaname cleared his throat and straightened his shoulders.

"Come in." His voice void of the previous cold fury.

Seiren stood in the doorway looking as emotionless as ever. She placed her hand over her heart and bowed low once again, in respect.

"I apologize for interrupting Kaname-sama, but Yuki Cross is demanding to see her friend."

"Where is she?" Kaname frowned pinching the bridge of his nose.

"She is in the night dorms lobby waiting with Ichijo-san."

"I shall be there in a minute. Go ahead and continue your watch position and make sure no one gets too tempted by the potent smell of blood here."

"Yes, Kaname-sama." Seiren bowed and took off in a flash. After her departure, Kaname remained silent, staring off towards the door. Hanabusa was getting uncomfortable with the silence and was debating whether or not to call Kaname's attention when said person broke him out of his thoughts.

"Four months of before and after class cleaning duty, five ten page essays about how stupid you are, and the repossession of your little...collection in your room." Hanabusa's heart sank.

"W-what?"

"You heard me." Kaname replied as he opened the door and started to walk off towards the lobby, his long graceful strides not leaving a single echo in their place. Hanabusa followed closely behind.

"Don't you think that's a little har-" Hanabusa's sentence was cut off by Kaname's glare.

"Six months."

"But-"

"Don't make me go up to a year." Kaname's threat sent shivers down Hanabusa's spine.

"Yes, Kaname-sama." He replied biting back any other complaints.

"We will continue this discussion later after I talk to Yuki." Kaname said as he came approached the corner leading to the stairs. "Oh, and Hanabusa." Catching the nobel's full attention once again before he continued speaking, "You should take off that ring." without another word, Kaname turned the corner and walked down the steps leading into the night dorm's lobby, leaving Hanabusa to watch the scene unfold. Yuki's voice shot out as she ran to Kaname.

"Kaname-san! Where's Yori? Is she okay? Can I see her?!" Her desperate voice getting louder after each question, as if she thought the man couldn't hear her. Voice hoarse with worry and crying marathons, Yuki pleaded to the man to tell her about her friend. Her friend that she was responsible for looking after that night. Her friend that was kidnapped and has gone through god knows what, all on her watch. Tiny fists clenched the front of Kaname's night class blazer, shaking slightly from the intensity of her emotions swelling up in her.

Before answering any of her questions, Kaname dismissed Ichijo and thanked her for watching over her in his absence. When it was just the two of them, a large hand engulfed a pair of small ones, squeezing them in a comforting way. The lack of blush from Yuki explained the severity from her worriment

"She is fine. She is currently resting, probably exhausted from the night's events." Kaname's smooth soft voice did little to soothe Yuki's anxiety. Instead it might have added fuel to the fire.

"Can I see her? I want to see if-" her voice cracked as tears renewed in her eyes blurring her vision. Dark bags surrounded her eyes revealing the restless night brought on only by worry and guilt. "If she is okay with my own eyes." Yuki finished with a sob. Kaname moved to comfort her, letting his hands wipe away the tears running down her cheek. Yuki retorted by only crying more. Her body, worn down by all of it, gave way only to land in Kaname's hold. His hold support the entirety of her weight with ease. Racking her body with tremors and sobs, the emotional exhaustion took its toll on Yuki and needed to vent. Comforting caresses carefully and deliberately calmed the crying girl. Hanabusa looked away, slightly embarrassed for watching in on such a tender moment. A cough sounded right beside him as he met the eyes of Takuma Ichijo. His green eyes holding a silent demand to follow him. Hanabusa, gladly to escape the too touching moment of his idol and the school guard, quietly followed the vice president's footsteps. Only when they were a ways away, did Takuma speak.

"How did you manage to survive this mess?" humor laced through his voice as he allowed a few chuckles out. Hanabusa only rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a late blooming whip lash building up from Kaname's slaps, before letting out a sigh. He thought about the actual question only to find himself absolutely baffled as to why he did infact survive. He followed the questions with a slightly breathy chuckle, and answered.

"I'm not sure if I'm can be counted out of the fire just yet." Surprisingly the two vampires had lately grown close enough to joke around each other.

"Surely from the condition your face is in, he gave you a lesson, no?" The easy going smile on his face while talking about the scarring event for Hanabusa, irked him slightly. The tips of Takuma's hair frosted over in a warning as Hanabusa grumbled and rubbed his aching face only for his headache to come back full throttle. Takuma's laughter boomed and bounced off the dark walls his eyes gleaming in a way that was dangerously amused. Just was Hanabusa was about to set the guy straight, an ear splintering scream scattered any thoughts of playful bickering. He bolted into action, taking note of the rather serious expression on Takuma's face who ran beside him. The sound came from down the hall in the direction of a certain room. His.


	5. Chapter 5: The Link

Wow. I really suck at updates.

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. Matsuri Hino does.

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Aching in his head forgotten, Hanabusa leg's burned with adrenaline as he ran towards the feminine scream echoing down the hall. A prick of familiarity ran through him. He's heard that scream before. But where? He racked his brain, searching for the scream he's once heard before. A singeing sensation spread throughout his body, staring oddly at his hand. He spared a glance at the source, only to find the ring seemingly to be sinking deep into his skin. The cold metal clamped down on his finger as if biting into his very flesh. He felt panic surge through his body. A foreign feeling of helplessness squeezed against his nerves. The buildup of vomit closed his throat, caused by the feeling invading his body. What was happening to him? Another scream resounded in the air, this time making Hanabusa's mind snap into realization. It was Yori's scream. The same one he heard at the auctioning back room. The same one she emitted while having her upper layer of skin burned off. Panicked thoughts raced in his mind. Ones that weren't his own.

Finally the dreaded door came into view, Takuma busting through, the creaking groan of the wooden door drowned out by the blood freezing scream. Hanabusa's nose was bombarded with the scent of blood and felt the beginnings of nausea increase. His brain telling him it was a sickening sight, forcing his body to lean on the doorway for balance. His head pounded again with the stress now inviting itself in. What was happening to him? That question along with the like mucked about in his frazzled brain. His brain that normally isn't frazzled. His brain that should have found the scent of blood mouthwatering.

Yori was backed up into a corner, her screams cracking from pure rawness, with blood all over her hands. Her eyes wide as she stared unbelieving at the crimson stains now adorning her skin. Her screams went silent as she noticed the new audience, only letting out a whimper of fear. She was surrounded by monsters. Blood sucking cold hearted monsters. She no longer saw them as the night class. They weren't human. They were killers. Blood thirsty killers. She glanced down once more at the blood on her hands, following the trail to a blood pouch. The thick liquid ran down her wrists, staining her shirt's sleeve. Tears gathered in her eyes, feeling overwhelmed by the all the events that had happened to her. She was sick to her stomach. If she had anything to eat lately she surely would have upchucked it right then and there.

Calmly in the middle of the room, Akatsuki was staring blankly at the cowering human girl. Takuma walked to the center of his room addressing the situation.

"Kain. What happened here?" the Vice President's voice was strong and calm, as if not thrown off at all by the terrified human girl in the corner of his room.

Kain lazily answered,

"She left the room and ventured on out snooping for an escape, only to come across your room at the end of the hall. I suppose, searching for anything to help her, she came across your packs of blood and spilled one." Takuma spared a glance at the shivering scared girl in the corner of his room. He walked towards her only to see her flinch and scurry even closer to the corner, as if trying to become part of the wall itself. Her leaking eyes screwed shut pushing trails of water to run down her cheeks. A pang of sympathy crossed his heart and he felt himself lowering on the ground, wanting to make himself seem less intimidating.

Meanwhile Hanabusa's sudden sensory overload tapered off, as he regained his level headed way of thinking. His breathing slightly heavy as he was released from the emotions hold. The pounding in his head was still there unfortunately, but at least he could think again.

"What the hell happened here?"

Was that the wisest first remark Hanabusa could have thought of? No, but at least he could form words. His outburst startled Yori, making her open her eyes only to be greeted with the view of Takuma's own swirling red ones. Another scream left her lips, her fear spikeing at the unnatural sight. Without thinking about his next action, Hanabusa pushed Takuma, who let out a surprised grunt, exclaiming,

"Don't you know you are scaring her?!"

"What do you mean?! If anything is scaring her, it's your loud voice." Takuma stated while picking himself up, dusting off invisible dirt from his pants. Hanabusa opened his mouth to speak up in defense, but before he could Akatsuki spoke.

"If you guys are done flirting with each other, I suggest we take care of this one." He said nonchalantly pointing his thumb towards Yori. This in turn made the girl, sober up quite a bit as her body tensed and stared back at them as if challenging them.

And for the first time since Hanabusa left her, Yori's voice broke out from her frail looking body.

"Let me go, and I'll swear not to tell." She bit out the words as if they were her lifeline. Which with the situation she thought she was in, she one hundred percent believed they were. All Yori wanted to do was get away from here. The old image of the night class had been tarnished and she couldn't stand to be around these monsters. For what they do to innocent humans is detestable. Her eyes hardened and her stare morphed into a glare, aimed right towards Hanabusa himself. Her words hung in the air that was still soaked with blood. For what felt like eternity, no one spoke. Hanabusa having a staredown with the little girl backed up in bloody in a corner. Her eyes unyielding despite her predicament. What broke Hanabusa's concentration on her was Takuma's sudden laugh that sliced through the room. Takuma held his stomach and gestured up his hand signaling he was trying to pull himself together. When his laughter died down he spoke wiping tears from his eyes,

"Ahaha- I'm sorry….but that's just too funny." Akatsuki just yawned in response to the sudden laughter of his vice president. "We aren't here to inflict any harm onto you. Honestly." Takuma urged on, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "We are the same night class you know and love, just….a little different." Takuma smiled unknowingly showing off his fangs that had lengthened at the smell and sight of blood. Yori scoffed, finding strength in seeing Hanabusa push around Takuma. She spared another glance at the blood now drying on her skin, and cringed. Her uncomfortable state didn't go unnoticed by the room's vampire occupants. However the only one to take incentive was Hanabusa. He stalked towards her, bending down to grasp a hold of her arm and lifting her up so she was standing on her feet. Expecting a fight his grasp was rather tight. Surprises were just something Yori was a master at, as she didn't resist Hanabusa's touch and instead willingly let him pull her to her feet. He let go of her, once he made sure she could stand on her own.

However, the severity of everything once again came down on Yori, as her head felt a fuzzy hazes pass over, and her world seemed to tip and sway. Her vision fluctuating in and out, her focus going from Takuma's face to Hanabusa's. Balance faltering, Yori took a dive for the floor, her head heavy like lead. She tried to command her limps to catch herself, but alas they refused to move. She prepared herself for the pain of the hard bloody floor crashing with her small already bruised body, but before she could recognize the feeling her mind went black. The high pitched ringing of her ears the last thing she remembered, carrying her through the black abyss.

Hanabusa mentally cursed himself as he saw her sway on her feet, no doubt on the verge of unconsciousness. Before she could hit the cold floor, he grabbed her arm and held her up.

"Hey, if you couldn't stand then-" his words died in the back of his throat as he became aware of her state of unconsciousness. He sighed.

"And here I thought you were going to let the poor girl fall flat on her face with the amount of trouble she has caused you." Akatsuki mumbled out. Hanabusa only glared at the fire whilding vampire, and adjusted the dead weight of the human girl in his hands, swiping her up until he was carrying her firmly in his hold.

"I'll take her back to our room." Hanabusa stated out while walking towards the door. His footsteps echoing in the now silent room. Not unlike before, Takuma's laughter broke through the thin quiet veil. When his laughing fit died down, he noticed Akatsuki missing, and deducted that the man had probably went back to bed himself. A few giggles left his mouth, as he remarked to himself,

"I suppose I should start to clean up his mess." His eyes beamed a rusty dark red, as the room began to put itself back together.

* * *

Yuki had finished crying her heart out gaining bloodshot eyes while Kaname held her, ghosted a thumb across her cheek, rubbing soothing circles on her receding blotchy face. Her whimpers no longer impeding her words, she requested to see Yori once more.

"Perhaps you should rest for the day. As that's what Yori is doing."

"No. I'm fine. I just want to see if she is." Yuki stated, the look in her eye revealing she won't budge on the subject. Kaname was just about to respond when Akatsuki entered the room, catching his attention. With a low bow, that Kaname waved off, Akatsuki explained a bit of the situation upstairs, leaving off some details as to not worry Yuki.

"Now Hanabusa is tending to her." Akatsuki ended.

"Is she resting now?" Yuki eagerly asked, wanting to known anything and everything about her friend's well being.

"She is."

"Can I at least see her?" Before Akatsuki answered, Kaname spoke.

"Yuki. Give her time to rest. You can check on her tomorrow." Kaname dismissed Akatsuki who with one last bow left to go back.

"Do you promise I can see her tomorrow?" Yuki's red eyes shone with hope.

"I promise. Now come on. I think it's time you return home. Get some rest yourself. You look pale." Kaname's hand brushed over her cheek.

* * *

Hanabusa effortlessly opened the door to his room, even while carrying the still unconscious girl. He laid her down back on the couch, taking his time to examine her wounds to see if she reopened any. Seeing as she was fine, or at least as fine as she could be, Hanabusa headed to the bathroom to splash some water on his worn out face. His thoughts went back to the emotions that came over him earlier. Emotions that came out of nowhere. A twinge of pain laced itself through his body, centering around his hand. Just as he was about to let out a throaty yelp, the pain subsided. He glance back up in the mirror, his eyes dilated, and sharp. And with one long breath in from his nose, his eyes tinted red. The smell of dry blood still permitted the air, as Yori's body was still caked with it. With a sharp turn of his head, he opened the bathroom door. Kaname stood over Yori's body. He picked up a stray piece of hair from her head, and let it gracefully fall from his fingertips. Hanabusa bowed.

"Kaname-sama." he lacked his normal flamboyant attitude due to lack of sleep, and the utter chaos flooding his system. He absentmindedly fiddled with the ring.

"Hanabusa." Kaname greeted as his eyes stayed glued to the girl who was unconscious on the couch. When his eyes finally made it to Hanabusa's, he reached into his pocket. Taking out the blood pill cartridge, he swiftly tossed it towards his loyal follower. "Your eyes are glowing." Hanabusa did as he was silently told. Kaname remained standing as he looked around the room, obviously eyeing Hanabusa's so called 'collectables.' His roaming eyes soon landed on Hanabusa's hand. "I see you have yet to take off that ring like I told you to do." Immediately Hanabusa's blood ran ice cold.

"I have not. I was too busy trying to get the situation under control." He smoothly replied. He moved to comply with Kaname's previous order, only to have a stream of burning pain shoot up his hand to his core. He grunted as he tried again with more force to remove the ring. It stayed latched onto his finger, digging into his skin as if it had a mind of it's own. Kaname was beside him in a blink of an eye, his hand replacing Hanabusa's as he himself tried to pull of the ring. Albeit Kaname was much stronger than Hanabusa, so when he tried to pull it off it brought on loads of anguished pain. A yelp left the blonde's lips, as the burning sensation ate alive at his core, with each and every tug from Kaname. Hanabusa pushed away from his president, as he was breathing hard from the exchange. His finger was now red and pulsating, as they had now agitated the skin around it. The ring still firmly in place, shining proudly.

"I should have known they would have used corelink spells." Kaname shook his head. Corelink spells? Hanabusa searched his head for any lessons he might have read on the subject. With a flash of horrid recognition on the noble vampire's face, Hanabusa let out a murmured curse.

" _It links you to your prize and let's you control her. Or at least punish her if she doesn't listen. Consider it a collar for your little slave."_ Osamu voice echoed in his head.

Hanabusa wanted to kick himself. If people thought he was smart, they were dead wrong, because this was the stupidest thing he could do...ever. Core link spells is a dead magic, though very common in the slave years. Slave and plantation owners would use it to connect all of their slaves together, so when one feels pain or fear, they all feel it. It was a way to enforce discipline throughout the entire slave unit. But why on Earth would it be inflicted on the ring they gave him? The ring was supposed to be the controlling device. Not aligned with the actual effects of the spell. Those slave trading idiots must have performed the spell wrong. Hanabusa let out another curse word from his mouth. He thought back to those strange emotions that force their way into his mind earlier. Was that...the link? The emotions he felt... Fear...gut wrenching fear, and hopelessness. His face grew even more pale as he pieced the puzzle together. His eyes found their way to the ring, tracing over the design of a crest engraved on the ring's band. He recalled the insigma they burned into Yori's flesh. They matched. His eyes shot to Kaname's, the look of knowing already on his face. Hanabusa just had to say it out loud though. He needed to say it out loud.

"I'm...linked to Yori?" His voice came out barely a whisper in the dead silent room. Kaname only nodded, his eyes already in the depth of his mind trying to find a solution. Hanabusa stared at his couch, the body on it still except for the shallow breaths. This didn't make any sense. How could he be linked to her? How could the slave traders even use magic like this in the first place? It was a long lost spell. And why did they place the spell on the ring they gave him. If he was suppose to be the owner? His head ached at all the variables. It didn't make any sense. Hanabusa started feeling a little more than irked as the situation grew even more complex and confusing.

"Is there any way to revoke the spell to unlink us?" The desperation was evident in his pleading. Kaname cleared his throat.

"Back then they didn't create an unbinding counter spell, because the spell was only used on slaves, thus they thought the need to unbind them would never be a thing."

"That….can't be right! The spell wasn't always just used on slaves." Hanabusa dug out some information from his mind. "It was also used on a king's concubines in the late 1500's. Surely they would have to come up with a counter spell then for when the king trades off his concubines to other kingdoms and nobles."

"I've never heard of one." Kaname started out. "However I will have Seiren looking into it. We may have to create one ourselves."

"That's it?! That's all we can do right now?!" Hanabusa life as he knew it was crumbling right before his eyes. Yes he was prepared to take care of a human girl for a little while until they cleared the mistake up a bit, but he wasn't prepared to be linked to her, possibly forever?! He didn't sign up for this! In fact he would give anything to be able to hit the back petal.

"Unless you want to cut off your finger, or kill Yori. Which I'll have you know Yuki wouldn't have." More dread hit Hanabusa in the face. Yuki. Oh my god. She'll never let him live another day once she finds out what he did. Here he was trying to do the girl a favor, and all he did was mess everything up. Yuki is going to hate him. Kaname noticed the vampire's inner struggle and spoke up. "Speaking of Yuki, I promised her that she could see Yori tomorrow once they have both rested. I'll send Seiren up here to help Yori bathe and get cleaned up."

"You aren't planning to erase Yori's mind are you?" Hanabusa asked at the mention of Seiren being near Yori.

"I'll admit, that I did plan to until just earlier. With the link in place, erasing the girl's mind now would only cause more problems." A groan interrupted the two's conversation. The lump on the couch twitched, as her hand shot out to cup her side. A fresh stench of blood filled the room.

"Ugh. Not again." Hanabusa shook his head in agony. Her bandages laid unraveled around her body as two vampire watched as Yori scratched and picked at the branding mark, releasing another round of blood. She was unconsciously clawing at the symbol, as if her body was rejecting the mark and it's implicated magic. Kaname's hands stopped the poor girl's ministrations in a quick reflex. A low whine passed Yori's lips, as she was stopped. She started to struggle against Kaname's hold. His hands engulfed her wrists, her body writhed and squirmed at action. He legs kicked wildly, her torso lifting in the air in a means to escape. Kaname's eyes turned crimson and Yori's body relaxed back into a sleep state. He released her wrists.

"Don't bother rewrapping her bandages." A knock sounded from the door. "Come in Seiren." Said vampire opened the door and walked calmly into the room. "Clean up Yori here, and make sure she is healthy and rested. If she happens to wake up during, notify me immediately." Seiren bowed deeply, handover her chest.

"Yes, Kaname-sama." Seiren moved to the couch to pick up the girl.

"Hanabusa." Kaname called to the nobel vampire who was intently watching Yori be carried off. Hanabusa's head turned towards Kaname, followed by his whole body as he twisted into a bow himself.

"Yes, Kaname-sama?" The president waved off the bow.

"Get some rest. You'll need a clear head for tomorrow." With that Kaname glided out of the door. Hanabusa watched his graceful movements as he left. He graciously welcomed the soft padded plush of his comforter as he plopped down on its covers, not even bothering to get underneath them. The last thing he remembered before giving into a deep sleep was the heavy weight on his finger.

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Yeah...this chapter was mainly just full of information that will play a bigger role later. Trust me. ;D


	6. Chapter 6: The Seed of Misfortune

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. Matsuri Hino does.

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A floral scent surrounded her senses as a warm tingly feeling engulfed her. She felt as if she was being caressed by the world's softest rose petals as her muscles relaxed into a deep rest. Though her vision was still shrouded in darkness, the faint sound of music chimed in the distance. As each note rung out she felt the darkness slip away. She was laying down on a huge bed, the covers pink and ruffled as if for a princess. Moonlight filtered in through the pane window filling the room with the dim white glow. Yori's heart seemed to beat in time with the slow music, she now recognized was coming from a piano. She set up and swung her feet from underneath the covers of the bed, her body feeling light and weightless, still tingling all around. She wiggled her toes in the soft carpet, not at all feeling the plushness. Despite not feeling her feet touch the ground, she moved towards the door, the odd desire to follow the music overtaking her. She entered the dark hallway, doors lining the walls giving her the illusion of choice, when she knew she had none at all. For outshining all the doors at the end of the hall was a beam of light emitting from an open door. The music flowing from the light as if dancing with particles themselves. Yori inched towards the room with a calm sense. Her eyes were blinded and quickly adjusted as she walked through the door. Windows lined the furthest wall allowing the entire room to be lit up with rays of the moon. There in the center was a grand piano, the pianist sitting with his back towards her. His blonde hair moved with each twitch of his fingers as they slide gracefully across the ivory keys letting loose the enchanting melody. Yori stepped closer, spelled by the atmosphere, wanting to be apart of it.

However once she was a mere ten feet from the pianist and his instrument, his melody suddenly stopped, ending in a off key. Black shutters came flooding down one by one sealing the windows off, as if retracting from her presence. The room was encased in darkness and Yori's feet prickled with the awareness of the cold hard ground. Her heart rate quicken. Her breathing short. She could barely make out the outline of the piano. What she did see made her legs shake uncontrollably. There standing stark in the middle of the darkness was two ruby eyes, their glow sharply predatory. Yori scrambled to get out of the room only to trip over her own feet, the feeling of the hard ground knocking the breath out of her. The ground seemed to move with little trails under the surface, her body over sensitive with her lost of vision. Red eyes by the piano, now by the window, now by the door, now flashing three feet in front of her. Her throat refused her the right to scream as her voice was gone. She rummaged to get away only to have the floor grow tendrils wrapping around her, strapping in place. Fear gnawed at her as the tendrils pulsed scraping against her skin with its rough and itchy surface. A cold finger ran down her face. Nails dragging down, releasing blood from their trails. Blood trickled down from her arms as the floor's tendrils bit into her skin. She felt itchy everywhere, her chest growing heavy with dread as she realized she had no hope to grasp onto. Something wet and slimy licked her cheek clean from blood.

"What a delicious meal." The voice was deep and smooth. Yori's struggle proved to only to add more iron stench into the air. The wet muscle soon moved down to her neck, a sharp prick following in it's wake. A sound of a hiss was all she heard before a sharp bite impaled her throat. Pain shoot through her body blocking out everything else. Her blood burned in her body, her muscles numbing at the sensation. She wanted to push the creature off of her but her body refused to move, almost as if drained. The creature pulled back and her eyes zoned in on their face. Green eyes met hers for a split second before she dared to see the two sharp white glints in his mouth. This time she voiced a blood shattering scream.

Yori sat straight up out of bed, her heart pounding in her chest. She felt her head spin as her eyes looked all around for such a terrifying creature. All she saw though was the panicked face of her best friend.

"Oh Yori!" Yuki grabbed her best friend into a hug squeezing the girl hard. Yori squeezed Yuki back and let out a sob. It was all a dream. None of it had happened. There was no such thing as vampires, especially in her school, her flesh was not burnt and she was not in a slave trade, it was all a nightmare. She mumbled out her worries and fears into Yuki's ear as she held onto her for dear life. Yuki's body froze up, her heart breaking for her best friend. She unwound her arms from the bedridden girl and she took a step back, brushing back her hair from her face. A lump formed in her throat. Yori's arms laid limp at her sides at her friend's retreat, her face riddled with tear tracks.

"Yuki?" Her voice was hoarse and watery and she forced her voice to break through her sobs. Yuki placed her hand in Yori's, noticing the frail skin covering the bones with a remorse fleeting thought.

"I'm….so sorry I left you that night." The guilt ridden girl's own tears leaked out, as she grasped Yori's hand in a death grip. The words echoed in Yori's ears, each echo seemingly awakening her body with odd aches and wounds. Her side pulsed. Her blood ran cold. Her eyes constricted, as she scanned her own body noticing all the rusty colored bandages. The spots that woke with new waves of pain started leaking bright red. Yori must still be in the nightmare. She locked eyes with Yuki, and her stomach filled with dread. Her throat burned with upcoming bile, her nose working overtime to try and get in steady breaths. She felt light headed. "Yori. Just breathe. You're okay. Just breathe. You're going to be okay." Yuki's voice fell on deaf ears as Yori started hyperventilating. The feeling of a soothing rub on her back just brought back sickening memories.

The sound of the door bursting open startled both the girls. Standing in the doorway was none other than Hanabusa. His blue eyes wide with panic, his breathing rapid and uneven. His hair was disarrayed and eyes dilated. He was a mess. Yuki glared at his unwanted intrusion. Kaname had gotten around to telling her the new circumstances between these two. Least to say, Yuki was grateful for his interference, just not the stupidity with the ring. Which explains the daggers now gracing Hanabusa's figure.

"I heard…" Felt Hanabusa corrected in his mind. "her panic." he explained. His eyes roamed to the occupant on the bed, scanning her frame. The fresh aroma of blood heighten his senses as he patted himself on the back for taking a bunch of blood tablets before coming. He walked towards Yuki, who was half holding the panicked girl in her arms. When Yori caught sight of the blonde vampire she weakly pushed Yuki behind her. Sticking her wetten face out in the light with a hard look, Yori poured her heart and soul into glaring at the monster. She didn't dare let her eyes leave his as she spoke to Yuki.

"These guys are Monsters, Yuki! They are blood suckin-" Before she could finish her cry Yuki placed a hand over her eyes, blocking her sight.

"I know. I know they are vampires, Yori." Her voice was steady and calm. It caused Yori to question everything she has ever known. She tore away from Yuki as much as her aching body would allow her.

"What do you mean you know?" Yori couldn't help the slight tone of accusement that laced through her words. Yuki refused to make continued eye contact with Yori, instead favoring her sight on the floor.

"I mean. I have know since I was little."

"You're acting like you are okay with it?!" Yori yelled trying to grasp at the scattering world around her. "They are Monsters! They eat us! They kill people Yuki!" Hanabusa watched as the two best friends started raising their voices.

"They don't! They aren't like that! They saved me even!" Yuki was desperate to rid the misunderstanding from her friend's mind. She reached out to hold Yori's hand once more only to have it be yanked away from her. Her heart took a beating from the reaction. "The night class is full of vampires that want to coexist with humans." Yori shook her head. "They drink fake blood tablets to ward off their thirst." The frail girl sitting on the bed slammed her hands down on her ears not wanting to hear the truth, her eyes squeezing shut, blocking out Yuki's pleading face. Yuki continued only louder. "They don't want to harm you or me. They are the good ones." Yori's eyes snapped opened.

"Those filthy vampires aren't good! You didn't see what they did to the others! You didn't hear the things I heard!" Yori screeched at her best friend not with anger, but with desperation and fear of the situation. Her eyes glossed with fresh tears as she broke down once more. Yuki was ready to comfort the broken girl, but a hand on her shoulder stopped hers. Hanabusa's expression matched that of Yori's. He grounded out with a level headed voice.

"Perhaps that's enough for one day. She seems to be going through the stages of grief." Hanabusa added. "Plus it seems she is reopening her wounds."

"I can attend to them."

"Or you could go talk to Kaname about the current situation at hand. Seiren and I can take care of her." Hanabusa gently guided Yuki towards the door.

"But-"

"Trust me. I can't hurt her." Hanabusa gestured to his ring. A fight seemed to die down in her eyes as she understood with a nod. She slowly left with one last look at Yori who was crumpled over herself on the bed. Hanabusa watched her reluctant departure down the hallway. When he turned around he face to face with Seiren.

"Normally you'd jump." she commented duly.

"Yeah, well normal has been thrown out the window for a while hasn't it?" he responded while running a hand through his hair.

Yori backed herself against the headboard while she watched the two's exchange. Her vision faded in and out as the pain racked within her body. She eyed wearily the pair only before she spoke.

"I can take care of myself."

"Considering the fact that you currently are talking to the bedpost thinking it's one of us, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's very incorrect." Hanabusa said as he approached the girl. He swiftly scanned the problem areas that needed tending. "Now just stay still as we rewrap your wounds." Hanabusa held her arm to start, only to have her struggle. Yori wasn't going to let these monster touch her if she could help it.

"She isn't going to let us do this peacefully." Seiren spoke out loud voicing out Yori's thoughts. Yori continued to struggle in the noble vampire's hold, with weak attempts of elbowing and scratching.

"Oh yes she will if she knows what's best for her." At his words Yori's body froze, her eyes widened to saucers. A tinge of discomfort shot in his hand at the command. Hanabusa looked down at his hand only to see the ring glow an earthy red. Connections zipped out faster than Hanabusa could blink. The ring was obviously forcing her to attend to his command, but at what cost? Was she in pain when she resisted? Or was she just a puppet who was momentarily senseless? Hanabusa filed the questions away for later, in the meantime he tried his best to revoke the order. "I mean...give her her freewill back." He made his voice deep and commanding. Yori's muscles seemed to respond to his voice as they relax out of their previous restraints, only to tense right back up again.

"You! You Monster!" Yori scrambled to get away from the school's idol. Her body tipped as she left the safety of the surface of the bed. Before falling into a heap of human onto the floor Seiren caught the girl and efficiently knocked her out with a pressure point near her neck. Her limp body was laid back down on the bed as Seiren started changing the wraps around her torso. Her branding mark was angry and red, a stark difference between the purple and yellow bruised skin around the rest of her stomach.

"Well you certainly waste no time. Though was it really necessary to knock her out?" Hanabusa mused as he watched her eyebrows furrow in her unwilling nap.

"I told you that she wasn't going to let us touch her. This is the easiest way." Seiren held no sympathy in her voice as she smeared on healing cream on the burn. Hanabusa knew that reasoning with the practically emotionless vampire was impossible and started tending to the smaller cuts, checking for infections and possible scarring. After Yori was all rewrapped and cleaned, Seiren took off, seeing as her duty was done, leaving behind a conflicted Hanabusa to his thoughts. He sat at the foot of the bed musing with his hair. He wasn't sure if he was regretting saving the poor girl or not. Seeing as she was going to be difficult whenever it involved any of his kind, he racked his brain for solutions. Surely they couldn't just make her succumb to sleep when they needed her to cooperate. Sooner or later she would have to cooperate if she wanted to get out of this mess. How else was he suppose to understand the link and break it? Surely she was just lashing out in fear of the unknown. All humans do. She was just an unlucky one who couldn't have the luxury of having her memory erased. Hanabusa recalled all those other girls who trembled in fear at his kind when they accidently stumbled onto the night class's secret. How the shock had even caused some to pass out. Once the erasing process was complete they would find themselves tucked away in bed, waking up to think any strange remnants were all a dream. It would appear the human mind itself can't comprehend the knowledge of them not being top in the food chain.

Perhaps if all of this was done away with quickly they could erase the girl's memories after all. He made a note to study up on the effects of large chunks of memory lost. A knock at the room broke him from his thoughts. Enter in Kaname. Hanabusa stood to bow. The pureblood vampire walked into the room, flanked by Takuma and Akatsuki. Kaname's eyes roamed to the sleeping girl, then landed on Hanabusa.

"Yuki told me some upsetting news." Kaname picked up a lock of the girl's hair as if observing a specimen. "It will complicate things if we aren't able to get her to comply with these odd circumstances." Hanabusa only nodded gravely.

"Perhaps Yuki can be the one to tell her everything. If they are really best friends then she would be the best candidate to break the news to her." Takuma supplied.

"And have Yuki later be haunted by Yori's disbelieving and disheartened face?" Kaname responded. He swung his head to regard Akatsuki. "Speaking of Yuki, go have her return to the day class dorms. She is waiting in the lobby, as usual not listening to my advice." Akatsuki bowed and headed off. The only sound in the room as Yori's soft breathing after his departure. A few seconds later the whole dormitory seemed to shake with Yuki's yelling.

"No way in Hell am I leaving!" A moment of silence followed. "Kaname-sama!" She yelled. A sigh left said man's lips as he ignored the girl's yells. When her yells were further away, Kaname turned a lone stare to Hanabusa conveying he wanted a report.

"When I got here, Yuki and Yori were having their little reunion only for things to get out of hand when Yori started calling us Monsters and Yuki tried her hardest to persuade her otherwise. The two got into a yelling match and that when I pushed Yuki out of the room to find you." Hanabusa rubbed his temples as he relayed the information. "If she keeps the mindset that we are Monsters, she will never be cooperative."

"Well you can't expect her to see us as anything but Monsters, especially after spending even a second of her life with Osamu's gang." Takuma imputed.

"Even so. I've come up with a plan." Kaname smoothy stated as if he was commenting on the weather. Hanabusa perked up. "Yuki and I shall explain to her the situation with the link and how we are trying to revoke it as quick as we can, meanwhile you" Kaname gestured to Hanabusa. "Will be in room and swiftly made yourself seem unthreatening, seeing as I plan on making you her bodyguard."

"Whoa whoa whoa. Who's her bodyguard?" Hanabusa interrupted. Kaname's glare did not go unnoticed as Hanabusa's spine straightened up and corrected himself. "I mean why are you choosing me as her bodyguard?"

"You are who she is linked to, so you will be able to understand her emotions best. Besides think of it as a part of your punishment."

"But shouldn't Seiren be assigned to her. She is the official unofficial bodyguard of the night class." Hanabusa tried to reason.

"Are you questioning my judgment?" Kaname asked.

"No! I'm just...Making sure this is the best choice." Hanabusa has never stepped into so much mud before in his life. He chose to swallow his tongue for the rest of the conversation as Kaname went off on his new duties and what he expects. To keep a human in the night class' dorms was about as dangerous as keeping a pet pig in a slaughterhouse. A slaughter house where all the butchers are always looking for new meat to play with. Dread pooled in his stomach as he realized the new ball and chain he will have strapped tightly around his neck. He questioned who was really going to be in power in this situation. The almighty noble vampire, or the tiny human who had the fierce eyes.

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Until next time!


	7. Chapter 7: Cry and Fight

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. Matsuri Hino does.

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Yori lifted the spoon to her lips, the soup barely registering on her taste buds as she stared lifelessly at the walls. She was assigned a room, full of plush furniture and elaborate decor, as if that would smooth her frazzled nerves. As if that would make everything okay. But she knew that across the hallway was the room of a killer. And there was nothing a red velvet chair she was currently sunken into while she absentmindedly picked at the decorative buttons, could do about it. She shivered as green eyes flashed red in her mind. She took up her water, the cold ice clinking against the glass as she gulped greedily, the water sending another chill down her spine. And yet as her skin gathered goosebumps with the cold surrounding her, she welcomed the relief in her throat opting to just wrap herself tighter in a blanket.

Yuki had came by to visit earlier that morning, and explained everything once more. It had taken a lot of self control of Yori's part not to just scream at them to let her go back to her normal life, which was taunting her from across the campus. She lashed out at anyone who dared near her besides Yuki, who she has latched onto like a lifeline. Everyday they would bring her food and ask if she would like anything. To which she demanded freedom and they just left. Freedom apparently didn't fall under the category of anything. She coughed as some soup went down the wrong pipe, burning her trachea. She lapped up some more water to rid herself of the burning sensation. Though as if summoned, the door flung open in haste.

"Are you okay?" Blue eyes wide with fear clashed with hollowed brown. His ragged breath was all that sounded in the room. Yori remained silent, not acknowledging his presence. He shook his head to clear it of its panicked thoughts and sighed, "Still ignoring me are you?" Hanabusa didn't know why he even expected an answer from the girl. The only time he even hears her tone of voice is when he is standing guard outside the door whenever Yuki comes to visits. But even then he had to listen in very closely, which made him feel guilty of eavesdropping. He grabbed the pitcher of ice water and refilled her glass. "Make sure to stay hydrated." He simply stated, before setting the pitcher back and plopping down on an arm chair. Yori made no movements as she stopped them all in his presence. Only when she was required to move she did, and even then she would take her sweet time thinking about it. Her esophagus still burned slightly from the soup and she wanted to very badly to have another sip of water, but she still didn't make any initial moves. Instead she turned her eyes to stare at the glass, mentally willing the monster in front of her to go away so she would be alone again.

Minutes passed, and the burning sensation refused to go away, and maybe it was just all in Yori's mind, but it seemed to grow even more, grating in her nerves. The room was deadly still, and Yori wondered if he had left silently. She dared a glance only to see his previous occupied seat was empty. Her muscles relaxed slowly and she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"If you wanted me to leave you could have just said so." A voice resounded from behind her. She jumped and spun around, glaring at the man. Hanabusa was slightly bent at the waist as he had spoke next to her ear. He straightened himself out while running a hand through his blonde locks. "Though that would require you to actually speak to me. You know...use your vocal cords?" Hanabusa gestured to his throat, as if she didn't know how to use her voice. "Who are you, Ariel?" He sighed as she just stood there and glared at him, not caring about his tauntings. It was one thing for someone to yell at Hanabusa, but it was another thing to be completely ignored. Hanabusa wa not one to be ignored, and yet she actively defied him and it grated on his nerves. He had to squash down the desire to scare her into submission since his ass would be handed to him from both Kaname and Yuki. But he had to do something to get rid of the hostile atmosphere she has with him. The blonde vampire was getting annoyed though when he saw that she was not backing down anytime soon, he broke eye contact. "Whatever. Call me if you need anything, though I doubt you will." With that he left to go back to his own room, which was adjacent to hers. He shut the door gently and allowed Yori to finally get a sip of water.

She downed the whole glass in three gulps, nervously looking around making sure she was alone. The soup sat now cold from the exposure of the air, and she pushed it aside. Her head stopped swirling after she stood up for a few seconds, and she waddled with her blanket wrapped tightly around her body back to her bed. Or well it wasn't her bed. No. Her bed had been left unmade in her dorm as she remembered she had rushed out that morning. Her bed had decorative pillows from claw machine games and stuffed animals she found cute. This bed she was currently laying on was cold and absent of memories. It was the bed provided to her in an attempt to please her with luxury. The soft smell of roses greeted her nose as the sheets were emitting the smell as if made of the rose petals themselves. Yori leaned into the smell taking comfort in the sweet scent. It reminded her of the many rose bushes spread out around campus. The campus she couldn't return to.

Her mood immediately plummeted, as she was once again reminded of her trapped state. She wanted to scream. She is wanted to explode in a fiery rage and take back her freedom by force, tossing everything out of her way in a childish temper tantrum. But most of all she wanted to cry. Her throat swelled up with a new wave of tears prickling in her eyes, and yet she swallowed hard and tried to suck them back up. She curled into herself with the blanket, with the desire for change nibbling away at her mind. She had been doing the same boring routine for almost two weeks. She would wake up, with a fleeting sense of hope that it was all just a bad dream, only to be reminded shortly after with a pair of ice blue eyes and a charming fanged smile that it was in fact all real. After that she would just stare at the walls, letting millions upon billions of different scenarios pass through her head as to how that night could have ended. How if she changed one little thing she did that night, whether it be what she ordered or what she had said, that it could have been all different. Yuki could come in every afternoon after her classes and see her in her most broken state. Yori hated it. When did she become such a sorry sap? Crying would solve none of her problems and yet here she was bundled up into a ball of tears. A knock sounded off the polished stained doors, but it fell deaf on Yori's numbed state. As did the creak of the door opening and the footsteps echoing closer to her lumped form on the bed. In a flash the footsteps turned back around and was out the door.

Hanabusa was a smart man, despite what others may think. He read books in his free time often writing notes and annotations in the margins. He aced all his tests and quizzes, placing him third in the entire school, right behind Takuma and Kaname himself. He could recite off the entire periodic table with names, atomic numbers and their molecular structure. He could give you an in depth lecture of the mechanics of fluid dynamics within a car, or the calculations of space travel withholding the existence of dark matter. His room was littered with books among his other collection is broken trinkets. But yet not one of these books tell anytime of comforting someone, not even picking up a conversation with said person. Hanabusa was what some people called booksmart, but not peoplesmart. It just wasn't in his blood to be able to identify what someone is feeling and be sensitive towards them. Though when he sees someone crying he will typically assume they are sad. Kids in kindergarten even know that tears are a clear sign of being upset. But their thoughts leave it off at that. They don't dwell on the reasons or causes because they don't know to think that far. And Hanabusa was no kindergartener, despite Kaname's treatment sometimes. He knew the exact reason why she allowed her fearless eyes to trickle down tears in the dark. But he had no way to heed those tears as he was the cause. Or well not specifically him, at least he didn't think, but more like the situation he put her in. Okay...maybe it was him. But at that night he honestly thought he was doing the right thing. Yeah maybe his thoughts were more entertained by the thought of Yuki's grateful face. She might have even hugged him out of her happiness of getting her best friend back. But here he was in a deeper mess than if he probably hadn't intervene. Did he regret any of it? Surprisingly no. The only regret he had was putting on that ring as her emotions were strong and often overrode his in her panic. He had been researching day and night, the growing bags under his normally bright and exuberant eyes being proof of his actions. There was no way in sight he could break the link on his own. And without the link broken Yori was forced to stay here without further instructions, which was the very cause of her current state. Hanabusa finally felt the headache of her crying ebb away and he assume she had cried herself to sleep.

"I have a new assignment" Akatsuki's voice rang out from behind Hanabusa, as he loosened his tie heading towards the closet. Hanabusa gathered his strength and summed the will to move from his cluttered desk.

"I can get ready in five minutes." his voice sounded foreign in his own ears. He cough in an attempt to cover up his surprise.

"No. Hanabusa. I have a new assignment." Akatsuki refused to turn around as he continue to stand in front of the closet as if indecisive between clothes. "You are going to stay here." His words rang out in the air for a few moments as Hanabusa tried to grasp their meaning. Though when it clicked his anger flared.

"What do you mean I'm staying?! I haven't missed an assignment since I got here. There's no way in hell I'm missing one now." Hanabusa grabbed his coat and yanked it on with a slow fire building up in his eyes though it was soon snuffed out by Akatsuki unending stare. Hanabusa sighed and laid his crumpled coat back down on the chair.

"Is this because of her?" Hanabusa voice grew acidic as his thoughts continued in their path. "She's perfectly safe here without me!" His body felt like shaking but he reigned in his control and tried to assess the situation. "Is this under Kaname's orders?" He asked finally under the suffocating silence in the room. The sudden absence of Akatsuki seemed to give him his answer as he sat down with an angry pout forming on his lips absentmindedly. He sighed for what seemed like the millionth time that day, trying to clear his head of all tainted thoughts. He should look at this in a positive light. He closed his eyes and leaned back into his chair, the light creaking protesting against his weight as his arms meet behind his head for support. At least he had the whole day to himself, allowing him to do certain errands, or just sit back in his silk pajamas and relax and not think about the mess he's gotten himself into. Nor that said mess just woke up, and is trying walking down the hall towards the lobby where a group of at least 20 vampires lazed around for their next class to start. His eyes shot open. This was not going to be good.

She tried to keep her breathing as quiet and subtle as possible, her feet careful to not hit the floor too hard least they creak and blow her cover. Her nap felt empowering, as once she cried out all the tears her body could muster she felt renewed able to take on the world. And if the world now consisted of vampires then so be it. She wasn't about to sit around and wait for some vampire to call her dinner. No she was going to escape. The hallway walls all looked the same no matter how many times she seemed to turn the corner or walk down a flight of stairs, towering over her as if mocking her spirit. Just as she saw a big set of doors that seemed to lead to a main room, she felt a chill go down her spine. She whipped around only to be face to face with the very man that made her head spin. She opened her mouth to scream only for his large hand to cover the bottom half of her face.

"I wouldn't scream if I were you. Least you attract more of me." Hanabusa's advice fell on deaf ears as her teeth dug into his palm. Hanabusa expected no less, though was surprised to see the fire back in her actions. She bit harder, her jaw aching from the force the pressure breaking skin. Blood slowly seeped down her lips dripping its way down her throat. Hanabusa flinched at the puncture, dread filling his body. "Now you've done it." he mumbled. Without another word he swept her up throwing her now flailing body over his shoulder like a sack. Yori squirmed and scratched, her mouth opening about to let out another scream, but before she could even try her captor hissed out.

"Be quiet!" Just like that, with his simple command her throat constricted, she opened her mouth to try once more but only air came out. Her hands squeezed around her throat wondering what on earth happened. Why couldn't she speak? Her eyes slid over to Hanabusa, only to be shocked to see his were already on her. A sly smile formed on his lips, his eyes glistening in their icy blue hue. "So now you listen to me?" His smug reply fueled her with rage. If this is how she was going to die, then so be it. She took a deep breath and did what she did best. She jammed her knee into his chest with enough force to surprise him, his hold loosening. Within that split second she managed to flip herself feet over head landing behind him on the ground. Swiftly she tripped him, pushing his feet right out from under him. His eyes flashed red with anger, his head hitting the hard floor with a sicking crack. The sound did nothing to phrase Yori as she climbed on top of the fallen vampire, her hands locking his in a tight hold above his head, her strength surprising for her looks. A shard of glass glistened in the moonlight as she held it to his neck. She didn't seem to care for the shard itself digging into her own skin. Though her throat was still restricted her eyes read deadly, stone cold and fearless. Hanabusa allowed her to keep control over him, curious as to her next step, her eyes telling a story all on their own, trailing him along for the tale. The smell of blood engulfed Hanabusa, the intoxicating smell making his mind fuzzy. "I always loved a girl on top." The shard pressed closer into his skin, not breaking it but letting it's intimidating presence known with an indent. He couldn't help himself. This girl...Yori seemed so fresh. Maybe it was the blood speaking, the way hers was smooth and sweet contrasting greatly with the spicy determination in her eyes. He mentally shook himself out of his thoughts. It was definitely the blood talking. He was in no position to be attracted to this mere human, despiste the position he was literally in. "Hate to cut the play time short, hon, but unless you want to be eaten I suggest you let me up and go back into your room." Okay he wasn't going to actually eat her, nor were the curious vampires that were coming up the stairs. But he didn't need the rumor of a human staying in the night dorms floating about, even if it wasn't in fact a rumor. He saw her eyes flicker towards the big set of doors, hearing the low mumbled and shuffling of others, fierce yet...hesitant. She gulped before strengthening her resolved. The door creaked open, and Hanabusa all but signed. In a flash he flipped their positions and angled his head to her neck. Yori gasped the shard clattering to the floor, cracking even more.

"I told you guys it was just Aido-sama fooling around again." one of the vampire students piped up, his own eyes glowing red.

"Hey mind sharing, Hanabusa?" One of them had the audacity to ask, chucking to his friends who only licked their lips. The group of five had smelled the blood and gotten curious enough to follow its scent. If only they knew curiosity killed the cat. Hanabusa bit his lip, the blood dripping down his chin before glaring at the group.

"Don't you know how to read the atmosphere. Give us a little privacy. Now." he growled out the last part, a glint settling over his eyes freezing the hooligans in their spot, before they gulped and let out frantic and hasty apologies. The five all but ran out closing the door firmly back as if they were never there. Hanabusa licked his own blood off of this lips, before letting his eyes roam to the tiny girl below him. Her eyes were squeezed tightly shut, preparing for the worst, her chest stilled as if she was holding her breath. Her collarbone looked so thin in the pale moonlight, her shirt falling off of her shoulder as if to tease him. He tugged it back into its proper position, one of her eyes opened at his action, the air tense and supercharged. Yori wasted no time. She reached for the glass shard once more, and slashed it around towards his face. Blood flowed freely from the newly formed long scratch along his cheek. He hissed.

Fearless indeed.


End file.
